4 Tips for Drone Videography (DJI Phantom 4)

Gone are the days when one would buy a drone and derive pleasure from watching it glide from one angle to the other. No. Today’s drones can do much more than hover directionlessly in the air. They are more useful today, and one of the interesting uses of these machines is in video coverage. And when it comes to aerial video coverage, few quads can do it better than DJI’s Phantom 4.

In all honesty, this quad is already powerful enough to capture those scenes you want to see. They are simply as awesome as people say they are. There is something special about the quality of their camera’s 4k video quality and the extra advantage of slow motion viewing it brings to the aerial videography industry. For the regular user, this is more than enough; but for the expert who wants more than just enough, these tips are for you.

Let’s Take Look At Drone Videography Tips

First Tip: Cleaning the Lens

This is common sense, although not all drone owners practice this frequently. For the best quality possible, you need to wipe the surface of your drone’s camera. Doing this helps you get rid of the dust particles or fingerprint patterns which can easily clog the lenses, hence reduce the quality of brightness. To do this, you will need a soft material such as a piece of soft linen, tissue paper or specially designed lens cleaner which is available on Amazon.

Second Tip: Choosing the Appropriate Video Output Format

It is important that you take note of the type of viewers and consumers your video will attract. Are you looking at producing a video that will be viewed in an open space such as an outdoor garden, or will the video be viewed inside a courtroom or living room? All these seemingly little stuff will help you determine the best outlook settings for your cameras. For instance, and depending on the requirement, you will have to set the film of your camera to about 30 fps in UHD. Alternatively, you may have to also set it to 24 fps; this time, in the 4k. It is important to note that settings in the 24 fps range are the best for creating the same effect as you often see in movies. The 30 fps – this time in UHD – has been proven to work best when the target is to produce videos that have a great crispy appearance.

Third Tip: Setting Style

As it is with most cameras, there are various settings that help bring out the best in your videography. These include sharpening, contrast, saturation and a couple of others. We have asked a couple of professional users of the DJI Phantom, and have learned that the best quality comes when the camera is adjusted to a -3 contrast, and saturation at a -2, and the sharpening adjusted to a -2. Another interesting tip worth noting here is using the right shutter adjustment setting. For best results, the shutter’s open and close speed must be at least two times that at which the frame does the same. Let us now consider the white balance. Although these drones are built to handle white balance issues on their own, there is often room to do more. So, carefully observe the climatic conditions of the day before getting your drone in the air. Usually, you can choose between “cloudy” and “sunny”, of course as the weather decides.

Fourth Tip: Choosing the Right Video Quality

One of the reasons many photo freaks always go for phones with the highest megapixels is because they want the best picture quality possible. The sane applies to drones. But assuming you are using the Phantom 4 – which is brilliant on its own – you still have the option of choosing your desired quality. In general, the 4k output is best. It helps you capture very fine details, and makes them legible even after zooming.

In Conclusion

As already stated, Phantom 4 is an amazing choice as long a drone videography is concerned. There is hardly any need for you to bother yourself about further custom settings. Your aerial video coverage will work just fine. But if you are a photographer or just want a little more quality, the tips provided in this article will help you achieve your aims.